


They Killed Lily

by Aryllia



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drabble, Dumbledore could at least have waited until the morning and done this in person, Gen, I just feel that this could have been handled a lot better, but no he just had to be a dramatic tit, honestly this has to be one of the worst ways to find out that your sister is dead, not that being traumatised is an excuse to abuse your nephew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-22 11:55:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21301652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aryllia/pseuds/Aryllia
Summary: Harry Potter's first morning at Privet Drive, from Vernon Dursley's perspective.
Relationships: Petunia Evans Dursley/Vernon Dursley
Kudos: 6





	They Killed Lily

**Author's Note:**

> First written for a contest on hexrpg.com many years ago. I happened to find it among a stash of old WIPs, realised it was actually complete (albeit short), and made a note to post it around Halloween. That was last year. This time around I managed to remember it on the correct weekend at least.

Vernon Dursley felt absolutely miserable when he woke up. During the night he had been constantly worried by ifs and maybes, and just when he had dozed off some hooligan drove by with roaring engine. Matters didn't get better that that he'd now been shocked awake by his screaming wife. Finally his brain kicked in.

Potter. Weird people on the streets. Petunia screamed.

Vernon ran down the stairs faster than he ever had before. He could hear Dudley wail from the kitchen and saw Petunia standing in the open doorway. Curiously, Dudley's screams were answered from a bundle of blankets barely visible behind the hem of Petunia's house coat.

"Why is everyone screaming?!" Vernon asked loudly to be heard over the wails.

"They... They're dead. Vernon, they're dead. Oh God. Oh-"

To his horror Vernon saw tears streaming down Petunia's face. In her hand she held an odd paper in a white-knuckled grip.

"Dead? Who's dead Petunia?" Vernon asked, slightly softer than before now that he was close enough to (hopefully) be heard without strain. He remembered all too well when his in-laws had passed, how distraught Petunia had been. Carefully Vernon reached out to touch her shoulder but Petunia moved as if she'd been electrocuted and finally seemed to hear the cries. She thrust the letter at Vernon.

"Read it yourself, I need to-. The neighbours might-. We have to talk."

The letter was long, but the contents easy enough to discern. Lily and James Potter had very recently been murdered. As the closest living relatives the Dursleys had to take in Harry - protect him. Something about their house being safe due to some hocus-pocus, treat the boy well et cetera, send a letter to the address at the bottom for details on the Potters upcoming funeral. No birth certificate or other identity papers for the boy, no official papers at all.

While Vernon read the letter Petunia slammed down the milk bottles in their place on the front step, gathered up the blanket bundle (Vernon noticed the tuft of black hair in his peripheral vision) and closed the door with every lock they had before hurrying into the kitchen.

When Vernon followed her he found both children and Petunia crying. The bundle was on the kitchen table. Petunia cradled Dudley in her arms while she paced the room. Vernon was again reminded of when her parents had died. He remembered that she'd just entered her third trimester and they had almost finished what would become Dudley's room. She had cried endlessly into a stuffed teddy bear that her father had given them at the baby shower. 

"She's dead. Oh God she's dead. I knew it. I knew it I knew it I knew it. Those freaks got her killed." Petunia looked up, and for the first time that morning she looked Vernon in the eyes. Her face was blotchy and puffy. "They killed Lily."

Vernon hated the Potters for dying, hated magic for hurting Petunia like this when she had finally found the happily normal life she'd wanted. Now they were stuck with a probably kidnapped child under the unspoken threat that somewhere out there were people who'd try to hurt them.

Well, they'd have to go through Vernon first.

**Author's Note:**

> I know Petunia is typically depicted as very antagonistic against her sister, but as an older sister myself I wager that the moment she found out that Lily had been murdered, at least for a little while Petunia ought to have been quite upset. Petunia herself is still only in her early twenties and she just found out through a letter that her sister had been killed by an Evil Overlord. A moment of hysteria seems justified.
> 
> It doesn't justify that they were absolutely horrible to Harry, but that's another story and JKR already told that one. Child abuse aside, I do admire that the Dursleys at least are protective of their own, even if "their own" is a very small group of people that doesn't include Harry.


End file.
